The video we saw in class was tough to watch, but confirmed to me that we need to be aware the issues surrounding special needs students. The idea of full inclusion is a great idea, but I think what is need is that teachers need to have the right training, the administration is on board, the full support from the parents of students attending the school, and the communities support. We saw a great example of how full inclusion can work, in the situation where the parents knew the first time they walked in to the school that was the right place for their child. Also we saw an example of how full inclusion didn’t work in the case of the student with schizophrenia and then the student doing better in the environment that supported her emotionally, socially, mentally and educationally. In this case, going to a specialized institution helped this student out verses being a regular student under the policy of full inclusion. So all of these different situations make me question if full inclusion is always the right the decision for students, or how can we work to fully include students with special needs. I feel for full inclusion to completely work teachers need to be trained correctly. Without the right training how can we do a good job teaching the special needs students in the class, but also other the students in the class? I like how the idea of full inclusion is to make people (students) feel more comfortable being around student with special needs.
At this point in my teacher training, I know that I am not prepared to be in a full inclusion class or even work with students with special needs in my class. But I know at some point that I will work with students who have special needs, and that is what I need to be prepared for. Jesse is right, if we feel we are in a situation as teachers where we feel uncomfortable we need to speak up and let our administrators know how we are feeling and that maybe more training is needed to be a better teacher to all of our students.
On another note, you all should view this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwjqXubo4Io. I don’t if you have seen it, but it is titled “A love letter to Albuquerque Public Schools.” Let’s say it was eye opening.
I think the documentary brought up a bunch of tough discussion points. I love the idea of full inclusion, but the ramifications are that teachers never know what to be prepared for. I know that is the case normally, but this widens the spectrum immensely. That means teachers will have to be trained and educated in so much more. I think most teachers would be up for it, but we ask them yet again to take on more work without more pay.
ReplyDeleteI work with kids that go to inclusion classes. It is not necessarily taxing for the teacher. Often the student is accompanied by an Ed Assistant, other times not, depending on the student and the subject. Art class is a good example of how kids at different levels can work independently.It should not be a burden for the teacher and if done right, in my experience, the teachers enjoyed having the students.
ReplyDeleteMy other point is that it's not always appropriate to have a student in an inclusion class. It depends.
All valid points. I don’t think many of us would claim to be prepared to teach in a full inclusion classroom. There’s great apprehension from both teachers, administrators and community. The perceived burden may well rest on the shoulders of teachers and therefore it may be left up to teachers to take the initiative and say what is wanted. At least this way, perhaps we can have a share in what and how training is carried out. Great Video! It's not until teachers AND students speak out will positive change be made.
ReplyDeleteI agree I think that I'm not ready to teach special needs students yet. I think all teachers need to have some training. I think that inclusion should be up to the special needs student and their parents. I think that we need to start teaching our students to be accepting of each other. There are so many issues that teachers face, some feel that inclusion is just more than they can handle. If full inclusion happens...support to the teachers needs to be available.
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